WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



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There will be no living with him," said the crow 



WIGWAM 
WONDER TALES 



BY 

WILLIAM THOMPSON 



ILLUSTRATED BY 

CARLE MICHEL BOOG 



NEW YORK 
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 
19 19 



V 



Copyright, 1919, bt 
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 

Published September, 1919 




DEDICATION 



This book is affectionately dedicated to H. T., 
who for ten years has been my constant companion. 
We have travelled together from the Gulf of Mexico 
to the Arctic Ocean. Have climbed glaciers of 
Alaska and shivered in the fogs of Newfoundland. 
Have rocked in the crafts of the North Sea fishermen. 
Have looked from the Phoenician ruins of Eze to 
the island of Corsica. Have enjoyed the nature 
smiles of southern Europe from Italy to Setubal, the 
ancient Cetubriga of the Romans. Have strolled 
along the highways and byways of Germany, Hol- 
land, France, Belgium, Moresnet, Italy, and romped 
together in the cork-groves of Portugal and the olive- 
groves of Spain. We have shared the same room in 
spooky inns along the trails of Don Quixote in La 
Mancha, and have ridden fourth-class with a first- 
class ticket hundreds of kilometres . . . because 
dogs were not allowed in first-class compartments on 
European railways. 



vii 



1 







The Giant Butterfly and the Mouse 


PAGE 
1 


Wactu, the Animal Painter . . . 


15 


Alitoci and the Giant Birds . 


28 


NiONA AND THE MoON MaN .... 


40 


Why Dogs Do Not Talk .... 


56 


Mr. Fish and Yoni 


68 


Fire Boy and Water Boy .... 


. 92 


Old Spot and the Cupids .... 


107 


The Underwater People .... 


129 


Watg' Agio Kills the Talking-Birds . 


144 



ix 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

"There will be no living with him," said the crow 

Frontispiece 

PAGE 

Every one laughed. What a joke ! This tiny 

mouse offering to release the sun ! . . . . 5 

"Come down," said Ayas. "I wish to discuss a 

business offer with you" 9 

Over their heads they heard a little voice calling, 

"They fit perfectly" 13 

This he did, much to the amazement of the beaver 17 

Wactu waited patiently for the color-sprites to dance 

on the snow and lakes 21 

On and on the frightened old man was carried . • 29 

Down the big tree he lowered himself .... 33 

The birds walked off in another direction ... 37 

"Niona, you are so, so beautiful" ..... 41 

Niona felt herself being drawn up and up . . . 47 

"I'm coming!" 53 

So Nudi and his dog, Happy, would wander off to 

the mountains 57 

xi 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

One day, trailing a bear, Happy told all she knew of 

Neti's romance 61 

"Yes," said Tiki, "she has told that which she should 

not." 65 

There he found a strange and very large fish splashing 

and floundering ......... 73 

"My ! how fast we are going !" 83 

"Mr. Fish! Mr. Fish!" called Yoni .... 89 

"We have brought a goose and caribou tongues, and 

we will share them with you " 97 

Looking up to her he waved his hand and smiled . 101 

He sat without discomfort in the midst of the flames 105 

"You've got a fine catch this morning" . , . .113 

It was but the work of a few seconds and all was over 121 

"How really clever Old Spot is" 125 

They suddenly saw a man passing along in the dusk 131 

"Do ha-tei-ul tuk," which means "Do not kill me" 137 

He looked up and saw a giant frog standing on his left 

foot 141 

Once there was a man who wandered all over the 

earth 145 

"My good brother, what have you on your back.?" 149 

And he began to sing in a harsh voice . . . . 153 

xii 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



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Wigwam Wonder Tales 



THE GIANT BUTTERFLY AND THE 

MOUSE 

WHEN Ayas was a small child, 
hardly able to walk, he would 
try to catch the sunbeams that played 
with his fingers and toes. Onitu, an old 
woman who had noticed his efforts, smiled 
and said: "He will be a sun-catcher some 
day; in all truth, Ayas will be a sun- 
catcher.'' 

Of course, the people did not know the 
meaning of her strange remark, and looked 
serious. 

Ayas grew to be a man, and travelled 
the long, lonely trails of the forest in search 
for game. One day, being very tired, as 
it was oppressively warm, he lay down to 

1 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



sleep. During his slumber something that 
passed scorched his leather coat. This 
made him very angry, for upon the coat 
he had worked long days with needle and 
thread, putting many colored beads in 
fantastic design. As he arose, his coat 
fell from his back, and the thread holding 
the beads parted, scattering them upon 
the ground. 

"'I'll find out my enemy!'' declared 
Ayas, so loud that the animals of the forest 
became frightened and ran to their holes, 
or scampered away in many directions. 

Unstringing his bow, lashed many times 
around with caribou sinew, he made a 
snare across the road, and over the spot 
where he had been sleeping. Then he 
went home. 

The next day the sun did not rise, or 
the next, and the medicine-men were con- 
sulted; but they were as much mystified 
as the people, who met in their lodges, 

2 



THE GIANT BUTTERFLY 



many of them too frightened to speak. 
"Had the Great Spirit deserted his people? 
Was this the end of all things?" 

Ayas' sister, who suspected her brother 
had been up to some mischief, went to 
him and said: "What have you been doing 
that the sun does not give light?" 

He replied: "I set a snare the other 
day; I will go and see if I have caught 
anything." 

So he went back to the wood where he 
had set his snares, and the nearer he ap- 
proached the hotter it became. When 
he arrived at the opening of the trail he 
saw he had snared the sun. He tried to 
release it, but it would not keep still, jump- 
ing up and down so fast Ayas could not 
grasp the snares. 

"Keep still!" he cried, but his com- 
mand was of no avail. So he called all 
the animals from near and far to help him; 
but it was so hot they dared not approach, 

3 



mGWAM WONDER TALES 

fearing their fur would be scorched, and 
as winter was drawing near, they would 
not risk that which kept them warm. 

A wee ground-mouse was looking on 
from his tiny hole under a great ant-hill 
that had been deserted. He called to 
Ayas and said: ''Go to the giant butter- 
fly who makes wings over there in the dead 
pine. If he will agree to make for me a 
pair of wings and guarantee a good fit that 
I may fly back should the sun take me 
with him, I'll release it." 

Every one laughed. TVTiat a joke ! This 
tiny mouse offering to release the sun when 
the great animals of the forest dare not 
attempt it ! A lynx, just ready to spring 
at the silly little creature, was prevented 
from doing so by Ayas, who gave him a 
stroke across his snout. This is the reason 
the lynx has such a short nose. 

Ayrs looked at the ant-hill. How large 
it was, and how small the beings that had 

4 



Every one laughed. What a joke ! This tiny mouse 
offering to release the sun ! 



THE GIANT BUTTERFLY 



made it. "'Perhaps the mouse can do as 
it agrees/' he thought. 

It was so hot the grass began to scorch, 
and leaves became seared. Something must 
be done, 

''Go to the butterfly and tell him I wish 
to speak to him/' Ayas demanded of the 
mouse. 

"He will not come and scorch his wings. 
He has the finest pair in all the lands about 
here/' answered the mouse. 

Ayas thought the mouse was right; so 
he started off for the wing factory. When 
he got near the old tree he called, and 
slowly, from a great hole in the trunk 
peered the face of Mr. Butterfly. 

"Come down," said Ayas. "I wish to 
discuss a business offer with you." The 
great winged creature slowly drew himself 
out of the hole, and spreading his wings, 
glided to the earth. He was so enormous 
Ayas was but a tiny being compared to 
him. 

7 



wigwajvi wonder tales 



*^The sun has become entangled in my 
snare," said Ayas, ^^and a young and very 
tiny mouse promises that he will release 
it if you will furnish him with a pair of 
wings. The fit must be guaranteed as 
well as the quality, as he may be required 
to make a long journey, and must be as- 
sured they will stand the strain; and in 
addition, they must be made of material 
that will be able to withstand great heat/' 

''What will be my compensation?" 
asked Mr. Butterfly. 

"What do you expect.^" asked Ayas. 

''That is not the way I bargain," re- 
phed Mr. Butterfly. "What is it worth 
to you.^^" 

Ayas thought a moment. Knowing that 
if the sun was not released, soon all the 
hunting-grounds would be destroj^ed by 
fire, he decided to make a good offer, so 
he said: "I'll give you five portions of 
clover honey, two hundred fresh wild roses, 

8 



THE GIANT BUTTERFLY 



and build a long ladder to your hole, that you 
may not need to fly when you grow old/' 

This appealed to Mr. Butterfly, for his 
wing joints did not work as smoothly as 
when he was younger. 

"'Throw in a measure of goose oil and 
it's a bargain," said he. 

"Very well," said Ayas. ''Have you 
any wings in stock that will fit?" 

"'I cannot tell without seeing your friend; 
bring him here and upon your return I'll 
have a few pairs ready for a try-on." 

So Ayas went back and told the mouse 
he had fixed up the matter, so they re- 
turned together, the mouse in the pouch 
of Ayas' coat. Many wings were tried 
on, and finally little Johnny Mouse selected 
a pair that seemed satisfactory, although 
not bigger than the wings of a sparrow. 

"Go up the tree and fly down," said 
Mr. Butterfly, and up crawled the mouse 
until he had gone so far they could not see 

11 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



him. Over their heads they heard a Httle 
voice calHng, ''They fit perfectly. My! 
this is wonderful!'' And down glided the 
wee mouse in little circles to the ground. 

''Now to keep my promise/' said he, 
flying around Ayas' head and settling on 
his right shoulder. 

Saying good-afternoon to Mr. Butterfly, 
who was to call for his supplies the follow- 
ing day, Ayas and the mouse returned to 
the struggling sun. Going to the strings 
of sinew, the mouse began to gnaw, and 
very soon, one after another of the strands 
holding the sun parted. With one great 
effort, it burst the remaining bonds and 
started again on its path of day, giving 
light to all the world. 

If it had not been for the mouse the sun 
would have remained a prisoner, and there 
would have been no day. If it had not 
been for the sun, bats would have always 
remained mice. 

12 



WACTU, THE ANIMAL PAINTER 



S long as the birds could remember, 



Wactu had lived among them. This 
was a very long time ago, and before the 
rays of the sun had penetrated the deep 
mist that surrounded the earth. It was 
only now and then that the people living 
in the lowlands could see the golden shafts 
of light tipping the great mountain-tops 
as they stood like mighty gods, covered 
with garments of snow. The snows, melt- 
ing slowly, formed lakes high up in the 
mountain valleys, and across the great 
glaciers and fields of ice all the colors of 
the painter's palette passed like a pageant 
of beauty among the mountain peaks. 

For ever so long Wactu had stripped the 
white birches that he called the ''white 
ghosts of the forest" of their bark and 




15 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



made baskets of it, for what reason the 
magpie and owl had been very much per- 
plexed to know. 

One morning a large timber-wolf called 
to discuss a matter of importance with 
Wactu, who was the King of the Kingdom 
of Animals, and master of the woodlands. 

^'I'm growing very tired of so much 
sameness of color among my subjects/' 
he said to the wolf. ''It's always black or 
white. Why don't you go up the moun- 
tain and bathe in the lake and roll on the 
snows, and become beautiful of color.? 
See !" pointing to the rays of light piercing 
the mist, ''See ! Is that not more fair than 
your gray costume ? " 

But old wolf only grunted an indiffer- 
ent acknowledgment, for he had little 
sentiment for anything but his appetite. 
His indifference caused Wactu to ejacu- 
late: "You are the most acrimonious of 
all my people. Go bring me a young 

16 



This he did, much to the amazement of the beaver 



THE ANIMAL PAINTER 



beaver, and mind you do not devour him 
before he serves my purpose." 

Wactu had decided upon a plan by 
which there was to be a change of fashion 
among his subjects, and he began prepara- 
tions then and there. 

Old wolf returned with a young whim- 
pering beaver-cub, crying at the top of 
his voice, for Mr. Wolf had not been over- 
careful in handling the youth, who, being 
accustomed to the tender solicitude of fond 
parents, did not understand the rougher 
ways of one who at any moment was liable 
to devour him. Wactu instructed the wolf 
to hold Young Beaver tight as he wanted 
to pluck a few hairs from his back and 
tail. This he did, much to the amazement 
of the beaver, who, though crying lustily, 
was more frightened than hurt. 

''Take him back to his mother,'' de- 
manded Wactu, "'and mind your appetite 
does not prompt you to rashness, for I 

19 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



may want you to bring him to me again/' 
So Mr. Wolf disappeared in the wood. 

Wactu always had his suspicions that 
Mr. Wolf feasted on Young Beaver, for 
when he needed more hair for his brushes, 
he always looked carefully for the places 
he had plucked, but could not find them; 
so he of course knew that Mr. Wolf had 
not brought him the same animal. As 
Mr. Wolf had served him well he never 
made any reference to the matter. 

For many days that followed Wactu 
made journeys to the mountains, and 
waited patiently for the color^sprites to 
dance on the snow and lakes; and as they 
appeared, he caught them and thrust them 
into his baskets. There were red, blue, 
green, orange, and yellow sprites — indeed, 
all the colors of the rainbow. Several times 
one end of the arch dipped into the waters 
of the lakes, and as Wactu knew the spirits 
of his departed friends formed the beautiful 

20 




Wactu waited patiently for tlie color-sprites to dance on 
the snow and lakes 



THE ANIMAL PAINTER 



colors, he was careful not to capture them, 
so waited for the rainbow to pass before 
collecting material for his interesting un- 
dertaking. 

When Wactu returned to his lodge, the 
owls, eagles, and hawks would go far out 
on the limbs of the tall trees so that he 
could not hear them, and discuss the state 
of his mind, for they had ''never seen him 
do such strange things before/' Once or 
twice they flew down, unbeknown to their 
master, and lifted the baskets, but, finding 
them very light, they were convinced that 
they contained nothing that would do 
them harm. 

Being King of the Kingdom of Animals 
and Birds, Wactu knew the language of 
all his people; so one morning, while he 
was tying up the beaver hairs and making 
brushes of different sizes — some with long 
handles and some with short — ^he called 
the skylark, the long-eared owl, the raven, 
the sparrow-hawk, the cuckoo, the chaf- 

23 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



finch, the gray wag-tail, the spotted 
flycatcher, the crested titmouse, the wood- 
pecker, the robin, the nightingale, the 
blackbird, the crow, and all the other 
feathered people of his empire, and said: 
''My good people, it will be many thou- 
sands of years before the mists and clouds 
surrounding this great world are dispersed 
by the goddess of the sun. It is my pur- 
pose to hasten the work of Nature, by 
painting all of my people in the colors of 
the rainbow. Could you bathe in the rays 
of the sun, I would be saved all my trouble. 
You would then be like a queen on her 
throne, arrayed in all the glories of color. 
Who will be the first to change his or her 
plain garment for one of beauty.^ I have 
collected all the colors to complete Na- 
ture's works." 



"I will," called Mr. Peacock, as Wactu 
reached for his colors, and placed them be- 
side him in rows. 

24 



THE ANIMAL PAINTER 



''Step right up and I will begin/' said 
Wactu in a pleased tone. So the peacock, 
with his long flowing tail trailing behind 
him, his head bowed in an embarrassed, 
coy way, approached Wactu, who, after 
placing him in a position most convenient, 
began to apply the mystical tints that were 
to make Mr. Peacock the most vain and 
conceited of all featherdom. 

Beginning at the head, he painted the 
neck, wings, and body. When the tail 
was to be renovated, he had to stand up 
and go around, as it was so long. Once 
or twice he stepped on it. The peacock 
winced though it did not hurt him at all. 

''There will be no living with him," 
said the crow as he noticed the peacock 
straighten up and throw his head back 
in a haughty manner. 

"Right you are," said the raven. 

"Such arrogance," said the wren, loud 
enough for Mr. Peacock to hear. 

Wactu, having completed his toilet, 
25 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



asked him to step off a bit so that he could 
see if the colors had run. This he did 
'midst expressions of admiration from some, 
and, Wactu was sorry to know, suppressed 
jeers of others. 

''Me next/' said Miss Robin Redbreast 
as she surveyed the plain, soiled whiteness 
of her clothing. 

"'Get on my knee," said Wactu in a 
gentle voice, for she was very small and 
timid. ''What colors for you. Miss 
Robin?" 

"Red on my breast, and for the others, 
those that will not soil easily." 

In the meantime, Mr. Peacock, who had 
always heretofore mingled with his people 
on an equal social footing, had strutted 
away, and was standing alone in self-satis- 
fied admiration, his beautiful tail spread 
like a giant fan. The humming-bird after- 
ward told his mate he heard him say, "I 
am more beautiful than the sun," and Mrs. 

26 



THE ANIMAL PAINTER 



Humming-Bird replied, "'I really believe 
he thinks it is so/' 

One by one the birds were bedecked with 
new garments. The old fogies like the 
raven, crow, and blackbirds said, ""None 
of it for us,'' and went away quite satis- 
fied with their old clothes. 

There were many animals who had come 
out of mere idle curiosity, standing about 
wondering what would happen to them if 
old Wactu did not use up all of his colors. 
Mr. Porcupine felt quite confident that 
the royal decorator would not insist upon 
any reform in his apparel, no matter what 
changes he made in the others. 



27 



ALITOCI AND THE GIANT BIRDS 



ALITOCI, a beaver chief, who had 
- become too old to work, spent most 
of his time when the weather was not too 
cold along the rivers, fishing. He had 
three dogs that helped him in winter, but 
in summer they did no work, though they 
must eat; so Alitoci fished for them. 

One day he was sitting by a dark water- 
hole full of fish, saying to himself: ''Here 
shall I get plenty of food for my faithful 
dogs." 

So he fished until he had caught all he 
could carry. As he was not strong, he 
had but few. He climbed up the bank 
to return home. 

It was growing dark, and as his head 
was bowed from age, he could not see a 
great bird hovering over him. This bird 

28 



On and on the frightened old man was carried 



ALITOCI AND THE GIANT BIRDS 



was enormous in size, and its wings spread 
like the limbs of a large tree. Suddenly 
it swooped upon him, and took him up 
toward the clouds that were piled in the 
heavens like great banks of snow. On 
and on the frightened old man was carried. 
Still remembering his faithful dogs, he 
held on to his strings of fish until his hands 
were so tired he had to let them fall to 
the earth, many thousands of feet below. 

His coat was old and he could hear the 
sinew giving under his weight, for though 
aged, he was still a heavy man, and there 
was a great strain on the coat. 

The old man could see only the wings 
of the giant bird as they went up and down, 
slowly, in flight. 

"Where are you taking me?" said he 
in great terror; but the bird did not reply. 

After a long journey over rivers and 
mountains, he was dropped into a large 
nest that rested on the limbs of a dead 

SI 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



tree. The bird said to his young ones, who 
seemed very much frightened: ''Take good 
care of the old man; I will go for food." 
So the bird departed to seek young animals 
like the rabbit, ermine, and small fox, as 
his children were too young to eat the 
larger game. 

When it was growing light, for the morn- 
ing daw^ned while the father bird was aw^ay, 
the mother returned. She was not quite 
so large and strong as her husband, but 
she also w^as big enough to carry a man 
for miles through the air. 

''How does it happen that you smell of 
a man.^" she asked her children. 

"We should smell of a man when father 
brought one here for us," the young ones 
said in chorus, without meaning to deceive 
their mother. 

They were so large, although very young 
birds, that they could easily hide the man 
under their wrings, and their mother did 

32 




Down the big tree he lowered himself 



ALITOCI AND THE GIANT BIRDS 



not know he was there, which was well 
for the old man, for she would have eaten 
him had she known the truth. 

The old man trembled so that it shook 
the birds, and the mother, thinking them 
ill, said: ''Why do you shake so; are you 
not well?" 

'"Oh, yes," they replied, "we are very 
well indeed." 

She seemed satisfied. 

The old man thought of his poor dogs 
who were waiting for food, and of the fish 
he had lost after working so hard to catch 
them. The fear for his own safety worried 
him, too, but greatest of all his troubles 
was the weight of the birds sitting on him, 
and the added weight of the mother caused 
him still more distress. When the sun 
came up he was sure he would be seen. 

As the sun rose higher and higher, one 
by one the birds fell asleep. ''Now is my 
chance," thought the old man, lame and 

35 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



out of breath. So out of the nest he crawled 
and down the big tree he lowered himself. 
He waited at times to hear if there was 
any chattering in the nest, but heard none, 
so he went on and reached the ground in 
safety. 

''Now/' thought the old man, ''if I 
should try to return home they might 
wake up and find me gone and follow me, 
and take me back to the nest." 

He began to collect knots and dry wood 
which he piled at the foot of the tree. After 
heaping them as high as he could reach, 
he gathered dry blades of grass which he 
put under the pile of wood. Then striking 
together two pieces of flint which he took 
from his pocket, he lighted the grass and 
this lighted the fagots. The flames ran 
higher and higher until they set fire to 
the nest. The wings of the birds were 
burned, and they fell to the ground. They 
tried to fly, but could not. The old man 

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The birds walked off iu another direction 



ALITOCI AND THE GIANT BIRDS 

walked as fast as he could, and hid behind 
a tree. The birds walked off in another 
direction. They did not suffer as only 
their feathers were burned. 

And this is the way it came about that 
great birds like the ostrich, the emu, and 
the auk, though having feathers and wings, 
cannot fly. 

Thus were the birds punished for trying 
to prevent the old man from returning 
and feeding his hungry dogs, who had 
always served their master so faithfully. 



39 



NIONA AND THE MOON MAN 



THERE once lived on the shores of the 
beautiful Lake Athabasca an Indian 
chief whose name was Wyani, and his two 
daughters, Wiona and Niona. 

Wiona helped her father cure the moose 
and caribou skins, and put the fish to dry 
on racks in the sun, for food for the dogs 
during the winter. 

Niona, the younger daughter, was very 
beautiful. She would sit by the lake where 
she could see her reflection, and arrange 
her hair, putting in her tresses large eagle 
feathers and wild flowers. She would make 
to adorn her feet beautiful moccasins of 
white deer-skin decorated with beads and 
many colored silks, and would say to her- 
self: "Niona, you are so, so beautiful." 

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Niona, you are so, so beautiful" 



NIONA AND THE MOON MAN 

Then she would glance at her pretty 
feet, and her slippers beaded in wild roses 
and big leaves, and sigh, saying to herself: 
''How fortunate to be so beautiful.'^ 

When her father would call to her to 
help him, she would say, ''Oh, father! 
Do it yourself!" or call to Wiona to help 
her father. Sometimes she would say: 
"I must make myself beautiful like the 
sun.'' 

A young Cree brave would come to visit 
her. He was a great hunter and feared 
no man. One day while he was sitting 
near her when she was adorning herself, 
she leaned too far over the water to ad- 
mire her reflection, and fell into the lake. 
He pulled her out, saying: "If you were 
not so vain this would not have hap- 
pened." 

"Do not scold me," Niona said, as she 
caught her breath and shook the water 
from her dress. 

43 



mGWAlM WONDER TALES 



'^You are very beautiful, but you are 
also very selfish/' said the young man. 

''All who are very beautiful are selfish/' 
Xiona replied. 

''That is not so/' said the Indian. 

"Old Father Bear and Mother Lynx and 
Brother Fox tell me I am beautiful; even 
the birds, more beautiful than I am, say 
I am beautiful. Are they not proud of 
their plumage.^ ^^Tiy should I not be!" 
exclaimed the maiden. 

"You are very beautiful," the young In- 
dian repeated, "but you are not kind to 
your father; and your sister is very tired. 
Whv do vou not consider them.^ Thev 
are both verv ^ood to vou." 

"I have no time. I must make myself 
like the sun; the beauty of everything 
comes from the sun, and I must be like 
her. She paints the clouds and rainbow 
and flowers and water — everything. I am 
the child of the sun and gather the beau- 

44 



NIONA AND THE MOON MAN 

tiful things of color that I may adorn my- 
self. You also think me beautiful. That 
is pleasing to me. I know myself that I 
am beautiful." 

"'Yes, but beauty is not everything/' he 
replied. 

''Do not scold me. You would not like 
me if I were like the Old Man in the 
Moon." 

"1 should like you better if you were 
helpful, and considerate of those who love 
and serve you; and mind, you better not 
let the Moon Man hear you speak slight- 
ingly of him or he may 'make medicine.'" * 

"Shoot an arrow at the Moon Man/' 
said Niona. "Who's afraid of him!" 

Suddenly it became very dark, and the 
moon seemed to draw nearer to the earth. 

"Save me! Save me!" cried Niona, 
but her companion had disappeared. 

* The Shaman of the Indian and Eskimo of Greenland, North 
America and Siberia are supposed to have supernatural power. 
The exercise of this power is called "making medicine." 

45 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



Niona thought, ''How silly it was to be 
afraid of the old dead moon/' and cried 
out in defiance: 

"Boil the moon; save your passion; 
Boil your lazy head, 
Hiding thus in idle fashion 
In your starry bed." 

The Old Man in the Moon seemed to 
frown and to come closer and closer. 
Niona felt herself being drawn up and up; 
faster and faster she seemed to fly until 
the light of the camp-fires could no longer 
be seen. The stars grew larger and brighter 
and Niona began to feel very cold. Up 
and up she went until she could see the 
earth but dimly, and only as a round ball. 
Suddenly she stopped, and a voice said: 
^'This is the end of your journey. You 
must live here. You thought only of your- 
self, of your beauty. Your time you spent 
in idleness. You did no good for any one. 
This is your punishment." 

46 



NIONA AND THE MOON MAN 



Niona looked around. There were no 
flowers, or lakes, no trees, no people. There 
were only mountains of dead rocks, craters 
of extinct volcanoes, and deep-sea beds, 
but no water. 

''What a terrible place," thought Niona, 
without speaking. 

''Yes," said the Old Man of the Moon, 
"it is so. We once had all, but age came 
upon us, as it has now come to you." 

"To me.?" cried Niona. 

"Yes, to you," he replied. "Look into 
the Grotto of Shadows yonder." 

Niona walked to a deep cave and looked 
down. There she saw reflected the face 
of an old woman, older than any she had 
ever seen on earth. 

"Horrors !" she cried, "How can I escape 
this awful fate.?" 

"There is but one way," said the Moon 
Man. "Come with me." 

They ascended a high mountain and 
49 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



looked afar to the ''City of Good Works." 
One end of a rainbow rested in a great 
square of the city, and people, bejewelled 
and wearing beautiful costumes, were danc- 
ing around it. There was music, such as 
Niona had never heard in the woods, and 
great gardens with flowers bursting into 
bloom, and birds of wondrous plumage, 
too numerous to imagine. 

''This," said the Moon Man, ''is the 
abode of contentment." 

"Oh! How can I get there .'^" cried 
Niona. 

"There is but one way," he answered 
as she looked in wonderment. "You must 
go back to earth and there seek out those 
who need help and comfort; be kind to 
the aged, and share your blessings with 
those who most need them. If you promise 
to do this, you may return." 

"I promise, I promise!" cried Niona, 
"When may I go?'' 

50 



NIONA AND THE MOON MAN 



^'At once/' answered the Moon Man, 
taking a great bow and an arrow that was 
so long its head rested on a mountain miles 
away. On the other end was a little com- 
partment, lighted with many colored lights, 
and containing chairs and a table which was 
set with the most dainty fruits and cakes. 

^^Get in, hold tight, and keep your 
promise." As he spoke he touched her 
lightly on the shoulder, and she began at 
once to regain her youth and beauty. 

She stepped into the fairy car. 

^'Remember your promise," said the 
Moon Man sternly. ^'Are you ready.?" 

''Yes," replied Niona. 

Before she could say more, she found 
herself flying toward earth; nearer and 
nearer she flew. Soon a light appeared, 
then another and another. Soon she could 
see the great lake, then her old father who 
was sitting outside his lodge. He was cry- 
ing, ''Niona, Niona, come back!" 

51 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



''I'm coming!" slie called, as the great 
arrow plunged into the earth, stopping just 
in time so Niona could step out and be 
welcomed by her father. 

"I've come to help you gather wood, 
and to fish, and to sew caribou-skins, and 
make snares, and cure the moose-skins, and 
to hunt, and to draw w^ater." 

He looked up and smiled, he had grown 
very old. 

''Where are your fine clothes?" he 
asked. 

Niona looked down at her feet, and be- 
hold ! she was in rags ! 

"I shall not need them now, good father. 
I have come to serve you." 

For many moons she had been faithful 
to her promise made to the Man in the 
Moon, when, one day, there came from 
the forest, a handsome brave, with a deer 
slung over his shoulder — not the Indian 
she had admired before her strange journey, 

52 



*'I'm coming 



NIONA AND THE MOON MAN 

but one nobler and taller. Walking toward 
the old man he said: ^^You have a beau- 
tiful daughter. May I wed her when the 
moon is full.^" 

''She is a good daughter, and may do 
as she thinks best," replied the chief. 

Niona grew to love the young Indian, 
and they were married and devoted their 
lives to her father as long as he lived. They 
lived to be very old, beloved by their tribe 
for their good works. When they died 
they were mourned by all who knew them. 
It is said they are now living in the beau- 
tiful City of the Rainbow, 



55 



WHY DOGS DO NOT TALK 



T the foot of a mountain, with his 



-^^^ daughter Neti and his dog, hved 
Nudi, an Indian whose wife had left him. 
He was fond of both, but of the two he 
loved his dog more dearly as she gave to 
him affection and obedience. 

At the time the incidents of this story 
happened all dogs could talk. Then lan- 
guage was very primitive, but as the dog 
has for nearly all time been a friend of 
man and his companion, each learned the 
language of the other, as does man when 
associating with a people speaking another 
language. 

The dog, being also the most sociable of 
all animals, learned that man could hunt 
with more skill when in quest of food, and 




56 



So Nudi and his dog, Happy, would wander off to the 
mountains 



WHY DOGS DO NOT TALK 



before he became his companion, would 
follow on his trail and devour the meat 
discarded by him. When the dog found 
man a kindly being, he would join in the 
hunt, each finding the other helpful. Man 
found the dog had more highly developed 
the instinct for location, and that his sense 
of smell and his hearing were more acute, 
combining also the pleasure he enjoyed in 
associating with man rather than with his 
own kind. So man and dog became fast 
and enduring friends, and as some one has 
said of the latter, ''the most intimate and 
companionable comrade for man of all the 
kingdom of animals." 

So Nudi and his dog, Happy, would 
wander off to the mountains in search of 
game, and fish the waters for trout so plen- 
tiful in the dark, winding streams that 
came down with such a rush from the 
upper reaches of the mighty mountain that 
Nudi called "The Giant." 

59 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



Sometimes they would have much to 
say, sometimes Httle. Happy would al- 
ways consider the moods of Nudi — if he 
was not disposed to talk, she would run 
along beside him if the path was w^ide, 
and if not, follow at his heels in silence. 

There was something Happy had for a 
long time wanted to tell Nudi, about his 
daughter, but she would always hesitate, 
for she felt that perhaps it would not be 
right as it was natural for all creatures to 
love some one. Neti was very beautiful; 
she had many young braves who admired 
her, and she was very fond of their wooing, 
as she was also fond of the pretty trinkets 
they would bestow upon her. But the 
youth Neti liked the most, her father did 
not favor, so, unknow^n to him, she w^ould 
go for long walks w^ith her lover, and Happy 
knew, as she had followed them, that he 
had kissed her and said to her words of 
affection which Neti liked, even though 

60 



One day, trailing a bear, Happy told all she knew of 
Neti's romance 



WHY DOGS DO NOT TALK 

she blushed and had taken her hand from 
his. 

One day, traihng a bear, Happy told all 
she knew of Neti's romance. This vexed 
the father, so he threatened not to allow 
Neti to go more than twenty paces from 
the lodge, and to take from her all the 
baubles she had received from her admirers, 
this being the most severe punishment he 
could inflict. He also went to Tiki, the 
Shaman of the tribe, and asked him to 
make medicine and bring upon the lover 
some evil. 

"'No," said the Shaman, ^^It is not upon 
the young brave, but upon your dog that 
I shall bring punishment." 

''No, no!" said Nudi, ''My dog is my 
friend. You shall not bring upon her any 
misfortune !" 

"Yes," said Tiki, "she has told that 
which she should not. We cannot ourselves 
judge of another's affection. We must 

63 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



choose according to the dictates of our 
own hearts." 

So the Medicine Man used his powers 
so that dogs could never talk again; but 
left them the capacity to understand the 
language of all mankind. Though he took 
from all dogs the power of speech, he left 
to them fidelity, patience, and affection, 
and made them so nearly human that many 
who have loved them mourn their loss al- 
most as much as one of their own kind. 
For has not the dog much of human in- 
telligence with none of man's conceit, 
hypocrisy or ingratitude? Does he not 
cling to his master no matter how humble 
may be his lot or how spare may be his 
meal.^ He will even forgive those who 
abuse and neglect him. No matter what 
may be the adversity that befalls those 
around him, he is still their loyal, clinging 
friend. 

What an object-lesson is this patient, 
64 



Yes," said Tiki, "she has told that which she should not. 



( 



WHY DOGS DO NOT TALK 



trusting creature that shares man's com- 
panionship, a companionship that if broken 
by the loss of the master, has sometimes 
ended in the death of man's best and truest 
friend. 



67 



MR. FISH AND YONI 



ONI, an old Indian, had lost his wife 



A by death, so, to the custom of his 
people, he covered her body with birch- 
bark, and wrapped it in a large moose- 
skin. Then, with the help of his friends, 
he put the body on a platform high up in 
the boughs of a tall, young spruce-tree. 

He then cut his hair very short, as a 
sign of mourning, and began to think how 
alone he would be during the long winter 
days. 

The frost had come and touched the 
trees and bush, and the beautiful colors 
that the artist of Nature was painting 
upon them, just a little while before Na- 
ture destroyed the picture, began to ap- 
pear in places here and there, all over the 
land. The fine birds that sang to Yoni, 




68 



MR. FISH AND YONI 



and the plain little wrens he loved best 
were leaving, one by one, to wing their 
ways to the Southland where the sun is 
always warm and smiling, and Jack Frost 
and his bearded old relation Father Winter 
are unknown. 

Yoni had been very happy during the 
many years of his life. He was a good 
hunter, so of deer meat and jBsh he always 
had a plentiful supply. But his age, even 
with all the pleasant memories of the years 
gone by, meant to him in his solitude only 
sorrow and loneliness. He would have 
been glad if his wife, many years younger 
than he, could have lived to help him in 
his old age, but this was not to be. 

He would sit outside his lodge, and watch 
the beavers working on their dam just 
across the river, and recall how he had 
told his wife, Noimi, who was very pretty 
in his eyes, that there was no one to com- 
pare with her in all the graces and virtues, 

69 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



that she must not go for wood when the 
nights were cold; and if she did, he would 
call her back and insist that she go into 
the tipi and sit by the fire, and if she wished, 
she could sew on the skins that would keep 
them warm during the winter. 

He would waken at night, and out of 
the silence would come, from far across 
the lonely hills, the barking of the great 
timber-wolves, sounding like big dogs. 
Sometimes a stealthy bear would come 
with its cubs and tear down his fish-racks, 
and carry off the fish he had dressed and 
was drying for the winter. In the morning 
he would go out to see what damage they 
had done. He would never get angry, say- 
ing in a low voice: ''Let them eat. It's 
very bad to be hungry." Then he would 
smile at their destruction, and with thin, 
trembling hands, try to straighten the 
poles. 

Twice a day he would pull up his nets 
70 



MR. FISH AND YONI 

that were made of willow fibre. Sometimes 
there were many fish, and sometimes only 
a few — ^but he never complained, for there 
were always enough for his needs now that 
he was all alone — ^having not even a dog. 
The preceding fall he had had two, but 
one had wandered away and he had given 
the other to Moni, his friend, who lived 
just around the bend of the river, and who 
was busy hauling wood for his winter fires, 
so did not come to visit him so often as in 
summer. Moni was growing old also, and 
his children had left him, all but a daughter, 
and she was blind, and not much help. 

One morning before it was very light, old 
Yoni heard a terrific splashing in the water 
above the place he tied his canoe. He 
had heard the connie or pike making a 
great rumpus when trying to catch a frog, 
but the splashing increased, so Yoni started 
for the shore as fast as his poor old legs 
could go. There he found a strange and 

71 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



very large fish splashing and floundering, 
and the more he floundered the more he 
became entangled in Yoni's net, and the 
only one he had. 

When the fish saw Yoni he called: 
^^Come quickly and release me. I'm afraid 
I shall die. Come ! I feel so strange." 

Yoni made no effort to untangle the 
monster, who was just twenty-five feet long 
to an inch. 

"Oh I" thought Yoni, "You are a fine 
catch; you'll be food for me all winter 
and much to spare; this I can barter with 
Moni for my winter's wood." And Yoni 
was pleased and smiled, and this he did 
not do very often. 

The more the creature struggled, the 
more and the tighter the net held him. 

"Hurry!" called the fish, not knowing 
what Yoni had been thinking about. Then 
he became perfectly still, and looking up 
at Yoni in a very appealing way said: 

72 



There lie found a strange and very large fish splashing 
and fioundermg 



( 



MR. FISH AND YONI 



""You are an old man. Get me out of this 
tangle and I will reward you/' 

^'How?'' said Yoni, becoming very much 
interested to have an affair with a fish 
that could talk. 

There are many places and people/' 
said the fish, "along these great river ways 
that you have never seen.'' 

"Yes/' said Yoni, becoming more in- 
terested. "The Yellow Knife, the Dog 
Rib, the Cree and many tribes far away 
to the North." 

"I know their language," said the fish. 
"Release me and I will take you where 
you will be among friends, and to those 
who will honor your old age. As you know, 
the rivers are long with many rapids that 
would upset your old canoe, and crush it 
on the rocks. Many of the portages are 
high hills, and many too rough and stony 
for your feet." 

"This is all very well in words," said 
75 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 

Yoni, ^'but you may be like many of the 
fur-traders who do not always speak words 
that are to be depended upon." 

Although the net was very tight about 
the neck of the fish, he managed to smile. 

*^Ah/' said he, ^^fish who talk never are 
known to speak untruths. Release me, 
and I will prove to you my gratitude by 
taking you anywhere you wish to go." 

So Yoni, convinced that he was talking 
to a truthful fish, waded slowly arm deep 
in the water, and cut the tangled strands 
holding his new-found friend. 

"Just a moment," said the fish after 
the last strand binding his gills had been 
severed, and he straightened out to see if 
his tail and fins were in working order, 
"I'll swim out a little way to see if every- 
thing is right for our journey." So far 
from shore and nearly to the middle of 
the stream the fish swam. 

"He'll never come back," thought Yoni, 
"and my net is in shreds." 

76 



MR. FISH AND YONI 



Far out, and out of sight the monster 
had gone. At first Yoni thought he would 
never beheve the promise of a talking-fish 
again, but knowing he had saved the crea- 
ture's life, he thought he might keep faith 
with one who had so truly befriended him. 
Just as Yoni was really losing faith, the 
fish rose to the surface far out in mid- 
stream. 

"I'm coming,'' he called. "There are 
a few scales missing, but otherwise I'm all 
right for a long swim." 

Yoni was glad his confidence was justi- 
fied, although he did begin to think the 
story was fishy, like others where fish were 
concerned. 

"Wade out to the rock," called the fish. 
"I'll swim alongside; you get on my back 
and then we'll be off for anywhere." 

So Yoni with some difiiculty waded to 
the rock, and climbed upon it just as the 
fish rose alongside. Yoni got aboard, 
straddling the huge back as if he were rid- 

77 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



ing a horse just as he had once done before 
he grew so old. 

"Where shall we go, and what is your 
name?'' asked the fish. 

"Yoni/' replied the old Indian, "WTiat 
is yours ? 

"'Piscatori/' answered the huge creature. 

"'What a strange name/' said Yoni, ''I 
am afraid I cannot remember it. My 
memory is not so good as it was years ago." 

"That's not important/' replied the fish. 
"Just call me Mr. Fish. I'll understand/' 

Yoni thought that was best, so he asked 
the fish to turn around and go down the 
river to a place where he had set his snares 
and traps the year before. So Mr. Fish 
turned around and began to swim so fast 
it took Yoni's breath almost away. 

"Not so fast, Mr. Fish/' called Yoni. 
"I'm afraid I'll slip off." 

"Oh, no!" said Mr. Fish. ^^Hold onto 
my front fin. Look out you don't prick your 

78 



MR. FISH AND YONI 



fingers, the points are sharp. If you get 
cold, Uft up the fin, step down, and you'll 
find a cosy room just large enough to hold 
you comfortably." 

So Yoni, being just a little chilly, with 
some difiiculty raised the fin, and to his 
great joy and surprise he found such a 
cosy little place like a little room, with 
the floor and sides covered with the most 
beautifully colored scales — ^just as if they 
had stolen the tints from an Arctic rain- 
bow or from the inside of a beautiful shell. 
And it was so warm, and Mr. Fish said, 
Quite waterproof." 

Yoni had not been so really contented 
for many years. He sat upon a strange 
little seat, so soft and warm, and looking 
around he found to his great astonishment 
that each scale formed a little window 
through which he could look out. Mr. 
Fish was passing through the deepest part 
of the river, and Yoni could see so many 

79 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



strange water things ^ fish of many colors 
and shapes^ turtles, eels, frogs, rocks v\'ith 
very beautiful clinging vines in which fish 
of many kinds were hiding. Yoni was in 
a maze of wonderment that was broken 
by the movement of Mr. Fish, who was 
pointing for the bank. Yoni looked out 
and recognized the place as the one at 
which he had camped many years before, 
and just across the river where the old 
elm was still standing, was the spot where 
he had first met Noimi, who afterward 
became his wife. This made him sad, but 
he felt better when he realized he had found 
a new friend and a very agreeable com- 
panion. Though he had not felt bold 
enough to ask, he thought Mr. Fish was 
much older than he himself was. 

The fish swam to a great tree that had 
fallen into the water, due to the underwash 
of a swiftly flowing river and the grinding 
ice that cuts the banks in the spring. 

80 



MR. FISH AND YONI 

''Get off here/' said Mr. Fish; and Yoni 
raised the fin and stepped out on the tree, 
and then cHmbed the steep bank. Mr. 
Fish, seeing how infirm the old man was, 
moved a httle, then backing up, raised 
his strong tail and gave Yoni a gentle push. 

''That is a great help," said Yoni. Mr. 
Fish made no reply. He was thinking 
how unfortunate it was to be old, and of 
the "Tree of Youth'' that grew where the 
waters of the Slave River flowed into the 
great lake of the same name. 

Mr. Fish waited patiently for the old 
man to return from his wanderings, and 
when he did, his eyes were red from weeping. 

"Cheer up," said Mr. Fish, "we are 
going on a long journey. To go by canoe 
would take five or six days. If the water 
is not low, I can do it before sundown." 

"Good for you," said Yoni, having great 
confidence in Mr. Fish as a means of trans- 
port. 

81 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



Mr. Fish smiled. ''I'll give the old fellow 
the greatest surprise of his life/' said he 
to himself as he s\yished his tail to the right 
and to the left with the power of a great 
propeller. 

''My ! how fast we are going/' said Yoni 
aloud; and he told Mr. Fish so, but he 
was too busy dodging rocks and sunken 
timber to have answered even had he heard 
Yoni. 

On Mr. Fish swam, cutting the corners 
of the river, w^inding his way between 
sunken ledges, leaping great rapids in w^hich 
many a trapper's scow^ had been crushed, 
as the little crosses on the graves on the 
banks can testify — struggling over shallow 
water, getting fast on sand-bars covered 
with wreckage from the great forests, held 
by boulders in narrow ways and pushing 
through with his muscular tail and wiggles 
— then down into deep water where things 
looked black and spooky to Yoni. For 

82 



1 



MR. FISH AND YONI 



hours, fast and slow, the great physical 
being worked like a mighty engine. 

^'What will become of me?" thought 
Yoni, ''if anything happens to Mr. Fish.?" 

As the sun w^as falling and the shadows 
were dying in the water, the craft of flesh 
pulled to the bank, and Yoni, a bit cramped 
from being so long in one position, got on 
the back of Mr. Fish and looked around 
to survey his surroundings." 

"'We'll remain here to-night," said the 
fish, as he wiped the perspiration from his 
kind face. 

"You must be very tired," observed 
Yoni. 

"Oh, no!" answered Mr. Fish. "It's 
a bit strenuous when one has a cargo 
aboard, to get over dry land when one is 
accustomed to a water route. Going back 
you'd better take your time — that is if I 
don't go back with you." 

Yoni looked worried. 

85 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 

Why have you brought me so far from 
home?'' he asked. 

''Don't ask silly questions," replied Mr. 
Fish. ''On the bank yonder you'll find 
some leaves and fagots. I'd help you if 
I could, but it makes me very short of 
wind to be out of water very long, so you 
will have to excuse me. Collect an armful, 
build a fire under the tree with the leaves 
all aflame with the 'Fire of Youth' — ^that 
one" pointing with his fin. "There are 
berries enough on the hill for your supper. 
I'll sleep in the black hole over there. It's 
near the shore." 

Yoni went about gathering leaves and 
small sticks which he placed near the tree, 
as there were many spots showing little 
piles of ashes where fires had been built 
before. While he was standing under the 
strange tree, a leaf would now and again 
fall — it seemed to him, all aflame. One 
touched his forehead and fell to the ground. 

86 



MR. FISH AND YONI 



He stooped to pick it up, but just as his 
fingers touched it, it disappeared. 

''What can be the meaning of this?" 
said Yoni to himself, and then he remem- 
bered Mr. Fish having said something 
about the "Fire of Youth." A strange 
desire to sleep came over him, and all night 
he slept, dreaming strange dreams of fairies 
and places and people. 

The sunshine chased away a gray dawn 
and shone straight in Yoni's face. He 
turned to get away from the glare, and in 
turning he felt so strange that he partly 
awakened. Becoming wide-awake, he 
gripped the grass and leaves with a vigor 
long forgotten. He looked at his hands. 
They again had the appearance of youth. 
His limbs were hard and muscular. Look- 
ing down, he discovered he was wearing 
a beautifully embroidered suit of moose- 
skin made for him by Noimi many years 
before. Looking up, he saw that the tree 

87 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 

under which he had fallen asleep was now 
bare of all foliage, and not a leaf was to 
be seen on the ground. Everything seemed 
strange to him. 

"Mr. Fish! Mr. Fish!" called Yoni in 
a voice so strong it almost frightened him. 
"Where are you, Mr. Fish.^" 

Mr. Fish was so tired on account of his 
long journey, that Yoni had to call many 
times. At last the vibrations of Yoni's 
voice touched the ear of the fish, and he 
awoke, moved his tail, blew the water, 
and swam slowly to the bank. Of course, 
he knew what had happened when he saw 
the young man on the shore. He smiled 
so hard that three scales loosened by the 
struggle of the day before fell off, and went 
sailing and sinking down-stream. 

" Good morning ! . . and good-by ! Long 
life and always happy days to you. Seek 
Noimi in the lodge just over the hill. I'm 
off for the sea." 

88 



Mr. Fish ! Mr. Fish ! " called Youi 



MR. FISH AND YONI 



Yoni called frantically, but Mr, Fish 
had gone so fast and far, he could not hear. 
He would not have come back if he had, 
having given to the old man ''Youth," 
some say, the most beautiful and precious 
of all things. 



91 



FIRE BOY AND WATER BOY 



S long as the oldest Indians could re- 



-^^^ member, the Fire and Water Boys 
had lived along the shores of the great 
lake called Athabasca. They never seemed 
to grow any older; sometimes they were 
very good and very helpful — sometimes, 
very annoying and often destructive. 
When the Indians grew tired of their 
pranks and tried to punish them, many 
strange things would happen. 

Far off the shore of Chipewyan lies an 
island, beautifully wooded and shaped very 
like a lady's hat. On this island, alone, 
for nearly fifty years had lived Ani, who 
seldom spoke to any one, nor did she ever 
go to the mainland to enter into the fes- 
tivities of the other Indians living in the 
vicinity of the settlement comprising two 




FIRE BOY AND WATER BOY 

old Hudson's Bay forts, a store of the com- 
pany that traded with the Indians, a log 
church and a few straggling huts that 
fringed the woodlands on one side and the 
lake on the other. In winter the Indians 
trapped and hunted for the many valuable 
fur animals that roamed the desolate parts 
of this great northern wilderness, and in 
the spring and summer fished for their 
winter supply for their dogs that helped 
them drag the game from the woods, often 
many miles from the settlement. 

The women made white and colored 
moccasins of the most beautiful designs, 
adorned with porcupine quills dyed in 
many colors, some of the strands being 
almost as fine as a hair. These were braided 
and twisted with silk cords also of many 
colors, making a charming adornment for 
the feet, even of a queen. Because the 
Indian women were not industrious, there 
were but few made, and these were all 

93 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



bought by the trappers, so people of the 
Southland never saw them. 

Far beyond the island on which Ani 
had made her home so long, was another 
smaller one where Ani's lover, a verv hand- 
some Beaver Indian, had lived more than 
forty years before. He had gone on a long 
trail for moose and caribou and had never 
returned; and every morning at dawn, 
and in the evening at sunset Ani would 
take a wild flower that her lover had given 
her, and which she had kept in a squirrel- 
skin bag, and go to the edge of the lake 
when the sun made a path of gold away 
across to the far shore, and call in her feeble 
voice to the Great Spirit to send back her 
brown-eyed boy of so many dead years 
of long ago. But he never came, and her 
heart grew more sad as the years passed. 
There were so many reasons why she 
wanted him — ^her tipi needed repairing, 
it was hard for her to cut w^ood, the path 

94 



FIRE BOY AND WATER BOY 



to the lake was stony and sometimes she 
would bruise her feet and groan; but there 
was no one to hear or to help her. She 
would not leave the island, fearing if she 
did her lover would return and would not 
be able to find her. 

One morning she heard the paddle of 
a canoe, and thinking perhaps he had come, 
she threw down her pan in which she was 
frying a portion of rabbit that she had 
snared two days before, and slowly crawled 
to the opening of her tipi and looked out; 
but it was not he — only two boys who 
were pointing their canoe directly to the 
path leading to her camp. 

Hello, Granny Ani!" called the boy 
plying the bow paddle, but Ani was so 
disappointed she made only a grunt as a 
reply. 

"Hello!" they called again. 
Ani made no answer, standing with a 
worried look, 

95 



mGWAM WONDER TALES 



"'Get some fagots/' called the boy in 
the bow. ''We have brought a goose and 
caribou tongues, and we will share them 
with you." 

Ani seemed pleased and went for an 
armful of dry branches — she had not eaten 
goose for so long, and caribou tongue she 
had almost forgotten. She was so slow 
the boys went to help her, and gathered 
for her a fine lot of branches, dry and just 
the right size to make a quick and hot 
fire. The goose was prepared and strung 
on a birch branch, as also were the tongues, 
just close enough to the fagots to roast 
without burning. 

''I have no tinder," said Ani. 

''Never mind," said the boy with the 
bright, flashing eyes, and wath the tip of 
his finger he touched the branches, at which 
they burst into flame, much to the astonish- 
ment of Ani. 

"Spirits," thought she, "I'll not go too 
near them." 

96 



FIRE BOY AND WATER BOY 



"'Get a gourd/' demanded the other 
boy in a tone Ani did not Hke — ^but she 
obeyed, and brought a fine big one hang- 
ing on long strings of caribou sinew. She 
handed it to the boy, and as soon as he 
had taken it, it filled to overflowing with 
clear, cool water. 

''You are children of the Evil Spirit,'' 
said Ani, looking first at one and then at 
the other, and then at the fire. 

This remark made the boys laugh. 

The goose and tongues were by this 
time nicely browned, and the edge of the 
fire had spread to a pile of dry leaves. This 
was put out by a gesture of the hand of 
the boy who had so mysteriously filled the 
gourd. But this Ani had not noticed as 
she was now anxious to know if the boys 
would make a fair division of the food, 
as she was growing very hungry. 

The first boy reached out and tore from 
the goose a leg dripping with rich juice 

99 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 

while the other lad took from the stick a 
dainty tongue, and began eating. Ani 
waited for them to invite her to join in the 
feast, but they did not. This so offended 
her that she seized the nearest boy (who 
made no resistance) by the hair of the 
head, and led him to the water, pushing 
him into a deep hole where he sank to the 
bottom. Looking up to her he waved his 
hand, and smiled, making strange faces at 
the astonished old woman who was too 
startled to speak. Then going back to 
her tipi, she collected a large armful of 
leaves and piled bundle after bundle of 
branches until they mounted as high as 
she could reach. Then she went to the 
other boy with her pipe, pretending she 
wanted to smoke, and asked him to light 
it, which he did. Then she put the fire 
from her pipe on the ground beneath the 
great pile and blew until a flame burst 
out, the fire leaping high. Quickly seizing 

100 



Looking up to her he waved his hand and smiled 



FIRE BOY AND WATER BOY 

the boy, she dragged him to the pile and 
pushed him into the burning mass. He 
also did not resist, but sat without dis- 
comfort in the midst of the flames until 
the fire had burned itself out. Then he 
shook the ashes from his clothing and 
walked back to his friend who had returned 
from the river, and they finished their 
meal together. 

Where is the old lady?'' asked the 
boy whom Ani had tried to burn, and they 
went in search, finding her sitting behind 
an old hut that had been deserted before 
she came to live on the island. She was 
very much worried by their coming, and 
told them so; but they only smiled, and 
told her she was to have all the goose and 
the caribou tongues that remained, and 
that they, who were the incarnation of 
fire and water, the elements she needed 
most, had been sent to her by the spirit 
of her lover to hunt, to make her fire, cook 

103 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 

her food, and to water the island so berries 
and herbs would grow — and to do all that 
fire and water could do for her in her old 
age. 

The old Indians who knew Ani said the 
boys served her in every way as long as 
she lived, and that she was never so happy 
as when they were with her; and some 
said her young lover came back, and they 
journeyed together to the far-off land that 
the white man called heaven. 



104 




He sat without discomfort in the midst of the flames 



OLD SPOT AND THE CUPIDS 



RACHNIDA, or "Spotted Spider/' the 



-^^^ name given him by his neighbor Yuti, 
who hved at the edge of the trail not 
far from the bear's den, had grown so 
large, and his legs so long that his snare 
was no longer strong enough to bear his 
weight. Once in a while he would go back 
to it, make a few extra turns, spin stronger 
strands, and try it out; but it was no use, 
down it came every time he tried. After 
repairing it, he would say to himself, ''Never 
again." Then he would go back to the 
dark cave in the ledge that for many years 
had been the home of his friend, Bruin, 
who had wandered away, and had never 
returned. Nor did any one know of his 
whereabouts. 

Old Spot, though having really no claims 




107 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



by right of possession to Bruin's premises, 
felt he was not trespassing. He had al- 
ways been on the most intimate terms with 
him, and had served him in many ways, 
recalling how^ often he had nursed him 
when Black Bear had feasted, not wisely, 
but too well in the garden of Yuti, who 
had cultivated a well-ordered patch bor- 
dering the woodland near his lodge. 

Yuti suspected Bruin — in fact had seen 
him leaving the patch where the corn grew 
several nights before he had gone away; 
but being on friendly terms with Spot, 
who was very devoted to Bruin, he never 
made any complaint, feeling it was better 
to live in accord with his neighbors rather 
than to plant the seed of hostility. Bruin 
was hungry, so let him eat. The sun and 
rain will cause more corn to grow." This 
is what Yuti would say. 

Old Spot had always lived alone, weav- 
ing his snare in the most likely place for 
his prey, just at the beginning of the trail 

108 



OLD SPOT AND THE CUPIDS 

as it entered the wood, and in good view 
of his apartment in the ledge. His spinners 
and spinnerets had the reputation of mak- 
ing the strongest silk thread in that vicinity. 

Of course. Spot was proud of this, but 
he was getting on in years — some of his 
twelve eyes were losing focus, and he some- 
times felt, though not always, with Bruin 
away and Yuti not as sociable as he would 
have liked him to be, that life did not have 
much attraction for him. His mandibles 
did not serve him with the same dexterity 
that they had possessed when he was 
younger, when he tried to seize his prey 
and squeeze it: this depressed him. There 
were also symptoms of rheumatism in two 
or three of his many legs, causing trouble- 
some and disagreeable pains; and having 
many legs and long ones, the chances were 
that his suffering would be much more 
serious than if they had been fewer and 
shorter. 

Knowing that these symptoms without 
109 



mOWAM WONDER TALES 



doubt meant the approach of age^ he be- 
came very blue at times, and for days would 
not stir from his quarters to see if his snare 
held any food for him. 

For two days and as many nights he 
slept wdth his long slender legs wrapped 
about him. The fall was coming on and 
he would often wake himself by chilly 
shudders, the nights being very, very cold. 
On the morning of the third day he was 
wakened by a strange noise. The sound 
came from the direction of his snare, but 
knowing that the young fox and the lynx 
made noises like real babies he paid little 
heed. Changing his position because three 
of his hind legs had gotten tangled, he 
settled again for another sleep of a day or 
two. Again the sounds like those of a 
crying child disturbed him, and again he 
said to himself: 

"It's only a young thing that has strayed 
from its mother." 

110 



OLD SPOT AND THE CUPIDS 



Before he had finished thinking, the 
cries became louder and more appeahng; 
so Spot, being of a kindly nature, though 
age had hardened him as it does so many, 
decided to investigate. 

He had been in one position so long that 
his legs, or a half-dozen of them, refused 
to work as he would like to have had them; 
but being very hungry from his long fast, 
he drew himself together, and with a big 
effort and a bigger grunt, stood up, stretched 
himself, and walked to the entrance to his 
den. 

Just as he poked his face out Yuti, who 
was gathering fagots to make a fire to roast 
a fat rabbit he had snared the night before, 
called out: 

"You've got a fine catch this morning.'' 
Spot did not answer. Turning in the 
direction of his snare that was stretched 
from either side of the trail, attached to 
as fine a pair of white birches as ever plumed 

111 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



a wood, he beheld two creatures with great, 
tapering wings, beating and struggHng for 
freedom, making at the same time, wee, 
shrill cries that caused Spot to hurry his 
pace. 

His first thought was for the safety of 
his snare. 

'^Here's a pretty mess," thought he. 
"How shall I ever repair it?" 

All the time Spot was hobbling toward 
the strange, struggling things, their cries 
increased. They were real heart-piercing 
cries. The more they shrieked the more 
they struggled, and alas, poor Spot's snare 
was being torn to ribbons. 

The cries were so terrifying that Spot 
was just a bit frightened, but having been 
ahvays very courageous, he rather resented 
the feeling of timidity, and, quickening his 
steps, he approached the destroyers and 
the destroyed. 

''Bears and beetles!" ejaculated Spot, 
"What have I caught this time.'^" 

112 



"\ou ve goL a fine catch xliis mornmg 



1 




OLD SPOT AND THE CUPIDS 

Fast in the lashings of his great web 
a brace of Cupids were beating their splen- 
did wings vigorously against his snare. 
As he came near they cried more lustily. 

''Where does so much sound come 
from.^" thought Spot, looking at their 
rosy, plump little bodies. 

Seeing Spot approaching them, they 
cried all the louder; but observing his 
venerable and kindly face, they suddenly 
became quiet, waiting to see what was 
to be their fate. 

^'Well, my children," said Spot in a 
gentle tone, ''you've made a pretty kettle 
of fish of my only means of securing food. 
Where did you come from, and what are 
your names V 

"Get us out of this tangle and we'll tell 
you all about it," said the Cupids in chorus. 

Old Spot gathered the end of a long 
strand of spider silk that was floating with 
the wind, and began to wind. 

115 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



"Hurry said one of the little prisoners. 
Spot hurried as fast as he could, but the 
faster he worked his spinner the oftener 
he broke the thread. 

''Be patient/' said Spot, ''The more 
haste the less speed." 

"Yes, but I'm cramped/' said the Cupid 
who was bound tighter than his mate, as 
he struggled to free himself. Part of the 
great web fastened to the birches began 
to sag from the weight of the chubby little 
victims. 

"Have a heart," commanded Spot in 
a sterner voice than before. "There will 
be nothing left of my trap if you don't 
keep quiet." 

"But you are so slow," observed the one 
with four dimples on his hand. 

At last the sticky threads were tightly 
bound on Spot's spinners, and the poor 
tired little chubs, being free, stood up, 
slowly moving their wings that had been 

116 



OLD SPOT AND THE CUPIDS 



SO ruffled and mussed by old Spot's food- 
catcher. 

"'You asked our names and where we 
came from/' straightening out their wings 
and adjusting a few shaggy feathers. 

''Yes/' said Spot, scratching his head 
with his hindermost leg in meditation. 

'"Cupid is our name. We have no 
home.'' 

"No home.?" echoed Spot. ''What is 
your other name " 

"We have no other name, it's just Cu- 
pid." 

"That's news to me/' said Spot thought- 
fully, adding: 

"Aye, aye! You're the little chaps that 
make a lot of trouble in the world. I've 
heard of you very often." 

"Yes, and a lot of happiness," they re- 
plied timidly, in a voice not bigger than a 
wren's. 

Again the little fellows flapped their 
117 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 

splendid wings, that were gradually getting 
back to their original form. 

"'Not quite so much breeze; I'm very 
sensitive to drafts/' plead Spot, eyeing 
the pair with a feeling of pity. 

''No father or mother? Poor kiddies," 
thought he. 

"'You have always been alone 

*' Always," they replied. 

''Have you nothing to wear to keep 
you warm.?" 

"Nope," they replied, shivering just a 
little, seeing old Spot was being moved to 
sympathy. 

"We'll see about that," he said. "Come 
over to my house, and I'll build a fire for 
you." So over they all went to Spot's 
den. 

"What a delightful place," said the 
Cupids, looking around. 

"You like it, do you.?" said Spot. 

"It's very cosy," said they as they en- 
tered the den, and cuddled in one corner 

118 



OLD SPOT AND THE CUPIDS 



where the leaves had blown in as if to make 
a comfortable bed for them. 

''Would you like to make your home 
with me ? 

They looked at eacn otner with an ex- 
pression of pleasure, each anticipating the 
reply of the other to be "'Yes." 

"Would you let us?" 

Spot did not reply, he was so deep in 
thought. ''What delightful little things to 
have around," he almost said aloud. 

"Would you let us.?" they repeated. 
'I'd be glad to have you," trying not 
to express too much emotion, as he was 
pleased beyond all measure at the thought 
of having them for his companions. 

"What shall we do about our wings; 
they are so terribly in the way," as they 
tried to adjust them so they would not 
scrape the rough wall of the cave. 

"If you want them clipped my friend 
Yuti can attend to that," said Spot 

"Would it hurt.^^" they asked. 
119 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 
^^I think not." 

'*A11 right; can we have it done now?" 

''We'll go and see if Yuti is at home/' 
replied Spot, looking in the direction of 
Yuti's moose-skin lodge. 

Over they went across the cleared land, 
where they found Yuti mending his mocca- 
sins. 

''I've a job for you," called Spot, as 
Yuti looked up very much bewildered at 
the sight that to him was startling. 

"I've a little job for you, Yuti," re- 
peated Spot. "Get your tomahawk and 
clip the wings of my little friends." 

Yuti looked at Spot and then at the 
Cupids. "What a strange request," he 
thought. 

Then Spot took Yuti aside and told him 
about his strange experience, and Yuti 
only smiled, saying nothing. 

Going to his lodge he got his tomahawk 
and led the party to an old oak stump. 

120 




It was but the work of a few seconds and all was over 



OLD SPOT AND THE CUPIDS 

Then taking the Cupid standing nearest 
to him, he gently led him to the stump and 
placed his wing upon it. With one stroke 
off it came. 

''My ! that was easy/' said his interested 
companion, looking to see if it hurt. 

"'Now the other/' said Yuti, and Cupid 
turned around. 

Down came the strong arm of Yuti, and 
off came the other wing. 

"What a relief/' sighed the little fellow, 
now free of his troublesome appendages. 
The other Cupid moved toward the stump. 
It was but the work of a few seconds and 
all was over. 

Reaching up and each taking one of 
Yuti's hands in his, the tiny fellows thanked 
him; then the little party started back to 
the den. 

On their arrival the conversation became 
more general and less constrained, all be- 
coming better acquainted. 

123 



WIGWAM WONDEil TALES 



"Something must be done about your 
clothing; we are Kable to have snow any 
day/' said Spot, in a tone burdened with 
soHcitude, for spiders have the reputation 
of being kind to their young and those 
they hke, even though the lady-spider 
sometimes devours her husband in a fit 
of anger. 

"Let's go down to the snare and see 
how much there is left of it/' he continued. 
"If it can't be repaired I'll have to weave 
another, for clothing you must have." 
After surveying the mass of tangled threads, 
they decided it would be best to make a 
new web. 

For days Spot worked upon it. Then 
he began the patterns for the suits. Up 
and down, under and over, he wove, warp 
and woof, doubling it and twisting the 
threads so that the garments would be 
warm; drawing close and tight the strands 
that formed the strange little affairs to 

124 



How really clever Old Spot is 



I 



OLD SPOT AND THE CUPIDS 



be worn by his Cupids — ^perhaps the only 
Cupids that ever wore clothes. 

They would sit in admiration. "How 
really clever old Spot is/' they remarked. 

As the wonder garments neared com- 
pletion, he added pockets, and made open- 
nings through which the little wings that 
were left could pass. 

Realizing how good he was to them, they 
decided to be very helpful and to serve 
him in every way possible as long as he 
lived, which was to be for a very long time. 
When strangers passed and saw the little 
things sitting close to Spot, some would 
ask: "How is it that their wings are so 
small.?" 

Then Spot would smile and say: "The 
reason Cupids have no wings is because — 
they do not want them." And then Spot 
would look at the Cupids and the Cupids 
would look at Spot, and they would giggle; 
but Spot would look serious. Of course, 

127 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



the strangers did not understand the cause 
of their merriment. 

Sometimes when Spot put the Cupids 
to bed, and covered and tucked them in 
with sweet grasses and scented moss flowers 
to keep them warm, he would sit beside 
them when the tree-toad whistled his night 
song, and wonder if they had their large 
wings again, whether they would fly away, 
and leave him all alone. 



128 



THE UNDERWATER PEOPLE 



ONE evening in the fall of the year, 
far-away in the North, on the shores 
of a great lake, there were sitting around 
the camp-fire a party of Beaver Indians. 
The winter had already set in, for the ice 
comes early, and it is very cold when the 
sun has gone to rest. 

Hocini, the oldest man of the party, had 
fallen asleep. Around the moose-skin tents 
were scattered bits of wood, dried fish 
hung on racks, and five dogs, used in winter 
for drawing moose and caribou, were sleep- 
ing as near as they dared to be, to the warm 
fire, for the Indians are very cruel to their 
dogs, who really are very good to work 
so hard for masters who do not allow them 
to get near enough to the fire to warm them- 
selves. The hoot owls had begun to make 

129 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



their strange noises and open their big, 
round eyes, for night was their day, and 
they must hunt food when they could see 
best, which was in the dark. 

Away on the far-flung reaches of the 
hills the wolf began to cry and moan. He 
is a big animal of grayish color, sometimes 
seven and a half feet from the tip of his 
tail to his nose-end. Many say he came 
originally from Siberia when there was a 
land crossing from Alaska to Siberia, and 
that his great-grandfathers and great- 
grandmothers and many of his relations 
way back in the years of long ago came to 
visit our Northland, and liked it so much 
they did not return to the land of their 
birth. That land is now divided from 
Alaska by the waters that flow from the 
Arctic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, so if 
he did ever want to go back to visit his 
relations in Siberia, he would have to swim, 
for no craft that go to Siberia for furs would 

130 



They suddenly saw a man passing along in the dusk 



THE UNDERWATER PEOPLE 



care to have him for a passenger as he has 
a bad disposition, and cannot be depended 
upon when he is hungry. 

While the Indians were sitting by the 
fire they suddenly saw a man passing along 
in the dusk. He was carrying on his back 
a strange blanket which was sewn with 
caribou sinew for thread, as the Indians 
had no cotton thread. It was made of 
dozens and dozens of muskrat skins cov- 
ered with fish-scales all sorted as to color 
and size, and the lining was made of many, 
many squirrel-skins also covered with fish- 
scales, which were also well matched for 
color, making a beautiful and very warm 
water-proof covering for his body. 

''Where are you going and what are you 
going to do.?" asked an old man of the 
tribe. 

''I'm going to become a young man 
again," he replied. 

"How will you do that.?^" asked another 
old person. 

133 



mGWAM WONDER TALES 



*'We will go with you/' said one of the 
party, ''for we like youth, for then we can 
hunt the beaver and moose in far-away 
mountains." 

''Do as you please/' the stranger replied 
indifferently. 

"Let us go/' said a young brave to two 
of his brothers-in-law, and they got up 
and went to their tents to get their bows 
and quivers and long hunting moccasins, 
for it had rained in the morning, and the 
ground was not yet dry. 

The stranger called to them, "Hurry!" 
and seemed out of sorts; but the Indians 
paid no attention to his mood and smiled 
at his haste. 

After saying good-by to their people, 
they joined the stranger and walked through 
a dark wood until they came to a lake shore. 
Suddenly the strange man who had been 
walking ahead of them, said: "Xwui!" 
and went through a hole in the ice to the 

134 



THE UNDERWATER PEOPLE 



bottom of the deep lake where his wife 
and many children were awaiting him. 
He did not greet his wife as though he was 
fond of her, and to one of his children he 
said roughly: 

''Tell the men on the shore to do as I 
have done/' 

So the three men went to the hole through 
which the stranger had gone, and dove to 
the bottom. Then they walked to a settle- 
ment on the sands of the lake where there 
were many tents made of all kinds of skins 
— of moose, caribou, white deer, muskrat, 
lynx, beaver, and many skins the Indians 
had never seen before — ^and around the 
tents, walking about, were many people, 
who did not look at them. 

The children of the strange Underwater 
Man would take bits of tough grass and 
make fish snares. Then they would wait 
for a big fish to come swimming along, 
swishing his tail and looking many ways 

135 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



with his strange eyes. The children would 
hold out the snare, saying, ''To nai," which 
means "'fish" in the beaver language. Then 
the fish would swim into the snare and be 
caught, and would say, as he wriggled to 
free himself, "Do ha-s tei-ul tuk," which 
means, ''Do not kill me." Then the chil- 
dren would take the fish to their mother, 
and she would cook it on hot stones that 
lay near a spring of boiling water that 
came from the bed of the lake. 

The stranger called to the three men to 
come to his tent and eat. They did so, 
and he shared the fish with them. 

Suddenly some one stepped on the foot 
of the man who had asked his brothers-in- 
law to go with the stranger. He looked 
up, and saw a giant frog standing on his 
left foot. He could not believe his own 
eyes, for he had never seen a frog so large. 
The frog said to him: 

"I was once a man like yourself, but 
136 



Do ha-tei-ul tuk," which means ''Do not kill me 



THE UNDERWATER PEOPLE 

years ago, while picking berries on the 
shore of the lake, I fell into the water and 
became a frog. I have the secret, and if 
you wish to become a frog who can live 
both on land and in the water, which has 
its advantages, I will tell you where you 
can get some wonderful berries, red and 
sweet. Eat of them and lie down on the 
bottom of the lake, and after you have 
been sound asleep you will awake and be 
as you see me.'' 

The man who owned the beautiful 
blanket was angered that the frog had 
given the secret to them, and said: ^^I 
do not like it that the minds of your people 
are so intent on us." 

As the visitors were growing very short 
of breath from being so long under water, 
they said: '^We will return to our people, 
but must go in a canoe as the water is 
making us ill." So the Underwater Man 
loaned them an old canoe. 

139 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



**Take care how you use my canoe, for 
it is not very good," he called to them in 
a warning way. They paddled nearly to 
the shore. Then the canoe melted away. 
The men swam for the land, but when 
they reached it one was missing. The 
other two believed that their brother was 
dead, but as they sat on a big rock they 
saw his head appear and reappear, and 
once when his head was above water he 
called : 

"'I am held by the frog. Help me!" 
So the two swam out, but when they came 
near to the man he said: 

Go back; I am free, the frog has gone ! " 

The men swam ashore and stood up. 
When they looked again they saw a great 
jack-fish — they could not see their brother. 
The jack-fish swam toward them and 
walked on its tail upon the shore. Like 
magic it turned into a man, and they all 
returned to the camp, to tell the wonders 
of their adventure. 

140 




He looked up and saw a giant frog standing on his left foot 



THE UNDERWATER PEOPLE 

Suddenly the old man who had gone to 
sleep began to groan and cry out. His 
wife, who was also very old, said: "Hocini, 
my husband, is dreaming." The old man 
then woke up and said in a frightened way: 
''The frog, the frog. Where is he.^" and 
his wife said: 

"Poor old man, the frog is in the lake,'' 
and Hocini said: ''I have been dreaming 
again," and his wife said ''Yes," and 
laughed, and so did the old man. 



143 



WATC^ AGIC KILLS THE TALKING- 
BIRDS 



ONCE there was a man who wandered 
all over the earth. He had as his 
companions many kinds of birds w^ho could 
not, or would not, talk or sing without 
his consent. He was a man who talked 
little but thought much, and noises worried 
him, especially the noises made by talking- 
birds like the parrot and the magpie. 

In his wanderings he would meet many 
kinds of people who did not like him, be- 
cause when they spoke to him he would 
only say ''Yes" or ''No" to any questions 
they would ask. Of course, his attitude 
toward all he met made them angry, and 
when he visited the villages the second 
time, many of the Indians threatened to 
kill him. The places in which he thought 

144 



Once there was a man who wandered all over the earth 



THE TALKING BIRDS 



he would be in the most danger he would 
go around and not show himself or his 
bird companions, for he was very kind to 
them, and they held him in great respect, 
although he had told them he would surely 
rid himself of their company if they should 
talk so loud that his enemies could hear 
them. They also feared him, for many 
times had they seen the way he had treated 
other birds, and they knew what his mis- 
sion was. 

One day, after a long walk, they came 
to the foot of a high hill. Around the hill 
and coming from afar, they could see great 
numbers of birds. 

"This,'' said the man, is the "City of 
Birds," and no man dare go among them. 
If he should, they would pick his eyes out. 
Many times have I heard my father tell 
of his band of beavers who went among 
them, and of their fate. 

"Let us go!" spoke up a great eagle. 
147 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



will defend you. My parents' nest 
was on yonder mountain, and I have many 
relations living among them/' 

"As you will/' said the man, *'but let 
us wait until night falls and they are 
asleep." 

The eagle had been talking matters over 
with his companions, and they all, with 
the exception of a few of the smaller birds, 
decided to go, happen what might. So at 
dusk they started. 

The road was long and dusty, and many 
times they had to wait for the vain birds 
to clean their plumage and arrange their 
feathers, but it was better so, because many 
of the older birds of the City of Birds had 
not returned to their nests. The man, 
although impatient, thought they might 
have been discovered if this cause for their 
delay had not happened. 

As they approached the city, a night- 
hawk who was just going to work, gave a 

148 



My good brother, what have you on your back ? 



THE TALKING BIRDS 



wild scream. This caused a great awak- 
ening in the town, and all the birds went 
to the public square in alarm. 

The eagle said ^^Go on." So the party 
boldly went among the crowd. Some, I 
can assure you, were very much fright- 
ened; but they had great confidence that 
some of the relations of the eagle would 
be living, and would no doubt befriend 
them. 

When the mayor of the town, a great 
pelican, saw the strange bundle the man 
carried on his back, he said: ''My good 
brother, what have you on your back.?'' 

"'They are my songs,'' the man replied. 

"Ah!" said the mayor, ''sing them, and 
I will have my troupe of dancing flamingoes 
keep time to your songs." 

''Those who dance to my songs, and 
those who do not, if strangers to me, must 
keep their eyes shut when I sing," said 
the man. 

151 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



The mayor called to the crowd that 
was chattering so loud his voice could 
hardly be heard. So he called again: 

''Do you agree, my townsmen?" 

He opened his mouth so wide that a 
great fish he had eaten for supper floun- 
dered out of his pouch. Before repeating 
his question he leaned over and picked it 
up. Again he repeated, ''Do you all agree 
to keep your eyes closed when the gentle- 
man sings .5^" 

"We will do as you desire/^ many of 
them replied. 

So it was agreed. A great fountain in 
the middle of the square contained many 
fish both large and small. These fish were 
for the use of the mayor only, as he was 
getting old, and to climb the long hill from 
the river made him both tired and cross. 
So the man said: 

"Come near the fountain. My songs are 
of running water and brooks, and it will 

152 



And he began to sing in a harsh voice 



THE TALKING BIRDS 



inspire me to sing them more to your 
pleasure/' 

So the crowd moved near the big basin 
full of water, deep and very wet. 

"'Bring your flamingoes and I will begin/' 
said the man. 

The eagle called him aside and said: 
^"During your song they will know because 
their eyes are shut, how dark it is for the 
thousands they have made blind." The 
man did not reply, but walked close to 
the fountain. 

"'Eyes shut!" he called loudly, and the 
people all closed their eyes and he began 
to sing in a harsh voice, for he could not 
sing, and disliked any kind of music. 

"I will sing of Mayor Pelican, 
And of his pretty daughter, — 
And of a dashing pelican 

Who in matrimony sought her. 
And while I sing I'll wring your necks, 
And throw you in the water." 
155 



WIGWAM WONDER TALES 



All the people smiled but kept their 
eyes closed, fearing he would stop his funny 
song. So he continued to wring their necks 
and throw them into the deep water of 
the fountain. 

After he had treated them all alike, he 
said to his companions: 

"We are quite safe now; let us remain 
here until morning, as there are many 
places of shelter and plenty of food.'' 

So it was agreed, and they resumed their 
journey about dawn the following day. 



156 



102 






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